Seeking Support, Clinton Visits Congress

President Clinton, hoping to ease the strains that have arisen between the White House and Congress in his first days of office, turned on the charm Tuesday in a hastily arranged trip to Capitol Hill--his first since taking office.

In a meeting with House and Senate Democratic leaders, followed by an hourlong lunch with Democratic senators, Clinton solicited support and advice on central issues of his agenda, including reviving the economy, family-leave legislation and campaign finance reform.

Afterward, senators were lavish in their praise of Clinton and of his apparent willingness to cooperate with Congress.

“It was a good, candid exchange,” Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) said as he emerged from the closed meeting. “The main message was that Bill Clinton wants to work with us.”

“It was a very good move,” added Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “It was appreciated by everybody.”

The meetings, apparently scheduled with almost no notice, came after a week that was dominated by the issue of lifting the ban on homosexuals in the military. Many in Congress say it was Clinton’s failure to take Capitol Hill into account that turned the question into a political brushfire.

Just as important, the meetings occurred as the Senate began considering legislation that would guarantee most workers up to 12 weeks’ unpaid leave to care for a newborn baby or sick family member.

The Democratic Congress passed similar legislation twice before only to have it vetoed by then-President George Bush. Clinton and congressional leaders are hoping for speedy passage so they can demonstrate that, with a Democrat in the White House, they have broken the “gridlock” that has paralyzed Washington in recent years.

But despite those intentions, in the months since the election Clinton has bruised congressional egos and disregarded the traditional prerogatives of some of those he will need most to carry out his programs.

His stand on homosexual rights pitted him against Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), the powerful chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who ultimately forced Clinton to delay lifting the ban on gays in the military.

The same week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) complained publicly that he had not spoken with Clinton or anyone on his staff since the election, even though Moynihan’s panel will handle virtually every aspect of the economic package Clinton plans to unveil in his Feb. 17 State of the Union address.

“I would have thought someone would have gotten in touch by now,” Moynihan told Time magazine. “I just don’t get it.”

The article also quoted an unidentified top Administration official as saying the Clinton Administration could “roll right over” Moynihan.

Clinton called Moynihan the day the article appeared, and White House spokesman George Stephanopoulos disavowed the anonymous comment.

Times staff writer William J. Eaton contributed to this story.